Falconreach Beginnings
by BreezeRogue63
Summary: When Shinata, a hero of Lore, first meets with Ash, it's obvious the ArchKnight in training is head over heels for her. But as he struggles to find words to tell her this, trouble is brewing. Eventually, the pair of them with the company of Yuuki set off to stop it as soon as possible. Will young love get in the way? Or will the trio be successful? Rated K for mild violence.
1. Chapter 1, Dragons and Introductions

**Hi! It's Breeze. This is my first fanfic on the site, so if you would be so kind as to review this first chapter that would be great!**

**The fanfic is, basically, an expansion on Kkat999's pairing of Shinata (my character) and Ash. I loved this idea I wanted to start my own fanfic about them. (If you haven't read her fanfic, Trials of Lore, I suggest you go and read it. It'll be better to understand who the characters are.)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own DragonFable or anything else I may pull up. The only thing I would own is my character, named Shinata. Kitlyn and Yuuki are my friends' property.**

**Enjoy!**

Falconreach Beginnings

Chapter One - Dragons and Introductions

In the town of Falconreach, there was a temporary feeling of peace. It was a nice change from the chaotic air that settled often on the town. During the peaceful time, a hero of Lore would find themselves in a relaxed state. Such was the case for the two heroes who were taking refuge in Serenity's Inn.

Serenity moved about, taking orders and handing out bills. The feeling in the Inn was warm as the sun shone outside. The waitress made her way to a table in the back.

"Would you like anything else?" she asked the two heroes who were at the table. One of the heroes, a silver haired rogue whose hair was in a ponytail, shook her head and replied, "I'm fine."

Serenity nodded and turned to leave. As she started to take her first steps, she heard someone call her name. The waitress turned around. It was the other hero, a warrior with short blonde hair. She held out her empty cereal bowl. "Could I get some more cereal?"

Serenity nodded once more. "A new bowl of cereal, coming right up," she said, taking the hero's bowl and bustling to the kitchen.

The rogue looked over at her friend. "Another bowl?"

"Hey, I'm hungry, okay?" the other hero replied in defense. "Is that a crime?"

"Yuuki, we have to watch our money," the rogue reminded the warrior. She held up a wallet. "We only have so many coins."

Yuuki grumbled, "Alright, alright. This is my last one." She placed her head on the table. "Shinata, there's nothing to do. All this peace in Falconreach is nice, but could we at least fight a few sneevils or something?"

Shinata smiled. "You always want something to do, Yuuki," she said with a small laugh. Yuuki shrugged. She was about to reply when there came a scream from outside. Shinata stood up. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Yuuki asked, looking around. "A scream?"

"C'mon." Shinata took out her daggers and ran out of the inn before Yuuki could say a word of protest. Yuuki sighed in frustration. "Shinata," she murmured under her breath. "Getting into unneeded trouble."

The warrior ran after her friend. Serenity, who had just arrived with Yuuki's new bowl of cereal, watched as the hero ran out of the inn, confused. "Miss Yuuki?" she called after the warrior. There was no response.

Shinata skidded to a halt in front of the sight she saw. There was a fire dragon in the middle of town. It roared ferociously, causing the few people in the square to scatter. The scream came again, causing Shinata to look over to where it came from.

A girl in a pink dress cowered, cornered by the dragon. Her blonde hair was ruffled, and her blue eyes had a look of terror in them. She screamed once more.

Yuuki finally caught up with her friend. Her sword was out, and she looked ready for battle. The warrior was about to strike when she stood up and murmured, "Huh."

Shinata stood up and looked at her friend. "What is it?" She looked over at where Yuuki was pointing.

"We're not the only ones who are trying to stop this," the blonde haired warrior noted. As Shinata saw what she was talking about, she agreed in her head.

A young boy with brown hair and hazel eyes was confronting the dragon. A long sword shook in his gloved hands. He looked as if he was telling himself words of encouragement. They didn't seem to be working, Shinata noted to herself as she watched the boy continue to stand.

"That's not how you hold a sword," Yuuki murmured. "He looks like such a newbie." Shinata looked over at her friend and asked, "Do you really have to be a critic at this time?"

"Why yes, yes I do," the warrior retorted, looking slightly offended.

With a huff of annoyance, Shinata ran past her friend. She jumped into the air, daggers at the ready. The two blades scratched the hide of the dragon, catching its attention. With a growl, the dragon turned around and faced the rogue.

With a running start, Shinata leapt into the air. She used her daggers to cut deeper gashes into the dragon's skin. The daggers had failed to implant themselves deeply enough, which caused Shinata to fall to the floor. She quickly recovered and got to her feet once more. Barely managing to avoid a blast of fire from the dragon, the rogue tried for a third time to take the beast down. She jumped and prayed for an easy way onto the dragon.

Her daggers dug into the leathery skin. Shinata grimaced at the roar of the dragon, and the blood which trickled from the two wounds. With much effort, she hoisted herself onto the dragon's back. With unsure footing, the rogue made her way to the dragon's neck. The creature swung its head in rage, looking for its enemy. Shinata could feel multiple pairs of eyes on her. She told herself grimly to ignore them. The rogue couldn't be distracted as she carried out this task. As she searched herself, though, Shinata knew this would be harder than it seemed. She had left her daggers in the dragon's side. Of course, because when all was going well something had to happen.

Grumbling under her breath, Shinata searched herself for something to use. Her hand touched something which felt useful (it had pricked her finger). The rogue grabbed a blunter part of the object and pulled it out. It was, to her surprise, a spearhead. She wondered for a few seconds why she had an object like this in her inventory, then switched her focus to the task at hand.

Shinata crouched on the leathery skin, getting herself closer to her target. Taking a deep breath, she plunged the spearhead into the back of the dragon's neck. The rogue ignored the second cry of pain from the fire dragon and dragged her spearhead across the neck, which widened the cut.

The hero had doubts about her plan's effectiveness. She was starting to wonder if it hadn't worked when the dragon went still. Her surprise grew as the beast fell to the floor. With a look of slight shock, the rogue stepped off of the dragon.

The girl who had cowered in the corner ran off into the inn, tears of joy falling from her eyes.

"You're welcome!" Shinata called after the weeping girl. Sometimes, the residents of her town confused her so much. Shaking her head, the rogue walked back over to where Yuuki was watching. Shinata stood beside Yuuki, keeping her gaze on the dead dragon in front of them. "Some help would have been nice, you know."

The warrior shrugged and replied," Hey, you seemed to know what you were doing."

"Right," the other hero replied slowly. Both heroes watched as the Falconreach villagers slowly came back to the square. Some of the more strong villagers were getting together, talking about attempting to move the dragon.

Yuuki coughed. "Shinata. You seem to have some sort of…company."

"What?" the rogue asked. Her friend pointed to somewhere behind Shinata, who turned around.

It was the boy from earlier. He seemed to look a little more relaxed from earlier, yet there still seemed to be an air of nervousness around him. Shinata smiled.

"Hey. You're the one who was trying to fight the dragon, right?" she asked in a friendly tone.

The boy looked up at Shinata. His eyes locked onto her face, and his cheeks began to color.

"Um, yeah, th-that was…me," he said, stumbling over his words. Yuuki quietly watched the blushing boy, biting her lip to prevent herself from erupting into laughter. Even so, a few chortles slipped.

Ignoring the warrior, Shinata continued to talk with the boy. "Well, that was pretty brave of you. Not many people can stand up to a dragon. So, what's your name?"

"My n-name?" the boy asked, the color of his cheeks growing more obvious. "Uh, it's, um… Ash. D-Dragonblade."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ash," Shinata greeted." I'm Shinata." She outstretched her hand. Ash's cheeks were the color of a ripe tomato as he looked at Shinata's hand, dumbfounded. He looked back up into the rogue's face and smiled a small, nervous smile. The two shook hands, with Shinata beaming at Ash, who was still smiling nervously, his cheeks a deep red.

"Oh! You two have met each other! Twillies is so happy!" Both Ash and Shinata looked down. A friendly red moglin was smiling happily.

"Twillies was wondering when you would find the hero of Lore, Ash!" Twilly continued. Ash looked at Shinata, his face showing surprise.

"You're the hero of Lore?" he asked. The rogue nodded. She was about to explain when Yuuki cut her off.

"Hey, what do you mean, 'the'? I'm a hero too!" the warrior exclaimed, pointing to herself.

"Oh, sorry Yuuki!" Twilly said apologetically. He looked back at Ash and Shinata. "There are actually three heroes of Lore."

"Yeah, and the three heroes need to go do hero stuff," Yuuki retorted. She added as she walked back to the inn, "And we really don't need some blushing newbie like you weighing us down."

"Ignore her," Shinata said." At times, Yuuki gets in a…mood. But she was right, we have to go do some things. I'll see you around?"

Ash nodded. "Uh, yeah." With a wave, the rogue left the boy and followed her friend. She smiled to herself. Well, he seemed pretty nice. Sure, he stuttered a lot. But in a way, it was kind of…cute.

Shinata looked back one more time at Ash. She hoped that she would see him soon.

**Thanks for reading! Sorry for the odd ending, one would say I was getting lazy. Chapter 2 will be posted in about a few weeks' time or so. I hope you liked the chapter! Review if you want to see more.**

**Peace off, Breeze.**


	2. Chapter 2, Dinnertime

**Hey! It's chapter 2! Yaaay! I've decided to give myself 9 day intervals to post my chapters. Starting today. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own DragonFable or any of its characters. Nor do I own any songs some characters may sing. I only own Shinata, my character. Yuuki and Kitlyn and property of my friends.**

Chapter 2, Dinnertime

The sun was going down when Yuuki and Shinata made their way to their house. It was a house shared by the three heroes of Lore, mainly because there was hardly anywhere else to settle.

Both heroes staggered under the weight of the bags full of groceries on their backs.

"Why couldn't you have…chosen fighting…monsters?" Shinata gasped as they slowly made their way to the house on the hill.

"Sorry…I thought…you were done fighting monsters from…that dragon," Yuuki replied. She teetered slightly, causing the groceries on her back to tip precariously.

"Okay," Shinata said, reaching the top of the hill. "We're here. Finally."

The house on top of the hill was a nice red and white house. It looked peaceful, which was odd for a house which held three heroes of Lore. The lawn was spotless and the house looked clean outside. It was, of course, the work of Kitlyn, the third hero of Lore.

Shinata set the groceries down, and stood up, enjoying the freedom of a straight back. Once she finished stretching, the rogue rang the doorbell. Yuuki, who had set her groceries down also, knocked on the door urgently. She was knocking for the tenth time when the door opened.

A girl in ninja armor appeared in the doorway, looking highly annoyed. Her dark brown hair, which was usually straight, was ruffled and messy.

"Once is enough, Yuuki," she growled. Rogue and warrior glanced at each other. Both could tell something had happened that had ticked their friend off.

Shinata and Yuuki dragged the groceries into the house (both agreed this was more appealing than carrying the things on their backs). Carefully placing her words, Shinata asked, "Did something happen while we were gone, Kitlyn?"

"Was it bad?" Yuuki asked, starting to put away some of the groceries.

"You be the judge of that. Does it sound good, or okay, to be humiliated by a conceited jerk who you know you're better than?" Kitlyn asked, her voice acidic. She grabbed some groceries and started to put them in odd places in the cabinet, clearly seething with rage.

"Was it that Slugwrath guy?" Yuuki asked. "I thought you liked him." She ducked, narrowly missing a can of green beans hitting her smack in the face.

"There's no way I would like someone like that!" the ninja yelled. She continued to place the groceries in the cabinet. "He is –" she slammed down a can of carrots – "the biggest –" she slammed down another can –" idiot-" _slam _– "I have ever met!"

"What happened?" Yuuki asked in a quiet voice. Kitlyn whirled around. Her face was red with fury. The glare she was focusing on Yuuki could have killed the unfortunate warrior.

"Is it your business? No!" she yelled. "Can I keep a secret? Gosh! You should be making dinner already!"

In her rage, Kitlyn managed to push Yuuki all the way into the kitchen. The frightened warrior got to work straightaway on dinner, feeling terrified.

* * *

Later that night, the three heroes sat around the small dining table. Kitlyn had calmed down enough to tell what happened.

Kitlyn had finished healing Drakath like a good, nice person. "Usually, when someone saves your life, you should thank them, right?" Kitlyn had asked. "Well, I got no appreciation from him. Instead, he runs off like a spineless coward. Odds are he's spouting lies about him saving the day and junk."

Kitlyn huffed and took another bite of her serving of fried rice. "He's such a jerk," she muttered, her mouth full.

"Hey, we all know that," Yuuki reassured her. "Let him be a jerk. It doesn't matter. You've got us, don't you?"

Kitlyn shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. He's still a jerk."

Shinata finished her food and took her dishes to the kitchen. Coming back to the table, she stretched. "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me," she informed her friends.

"Hold up." Yuuki stood, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "We haven't started to reflect on our days with each other."

Confused, Kitlyn said, "I thought you hated those, Yuuki."

"I do," the warrior admitted. "But Shinata's had an interesting day. I thought she should share."

The rogue felt her cheeks go red. "Well, let me get into something more comfortable," she said.

"Alright, but hurry back," Yuuki replied in a singsong voice. Cheeks still red, the silver haired hero rushed to her room. Yuuki just wouldn't stop at anything, huh? Why was she so nosy all the time?

Shinata changed into a loose t-shirt and fluffy pajama pants. She took her hair out of its ponytail, brushing it a few times through.

She was about to look for some nice fuzzy socks when the doorbell rang. There was a clamber downstairs as the ninja and warrior raced to the door. More clambering was heard. Finally, there was a ha of victory.

"I got here first, Yuuki," Kitlyn called to the warrior. There was a huff. "Yeah, sure you did."

"I did!" the ninja cried. "I touched the door before you!"

"Just open the door already," Yuuki muttered. The door opened, with a soft whine. "Hello?"

There was a soft murmuring, the words Shinata couldn't make out. She heard Yuuki gasp, which sounded like she was struggling with breathing.

"It's him!" the warrior yelled. She didn't sound like she was expecting a person, but like the item she had ordered had finally arrived. "It's Shinata's little admirer! He came! Oh my gosh, wow!"

Shinata perked up. The rogue came down the stairs quietly. When she finally reached the first floor, she saw that her two friends were standing at the doorway. They both turned around and saw the rogue standing behind them. Yuuki's face had a grin plastered on it. Kitlyn looked confused.

"Yuuki, what are you talking about?" the ninja asked. She still looked confused.

With a grin, the warrior replied, "You should ask her." She pointed at Shinata, who was still watching quietly.

"What are you two talking about?" Shinata asked. She hardly knew anything about this, but she had a good idea that it had something to do with the morning.

"It's your blushing puppy, Shinata," Yuuki informed the rogue. Of course. Who else would she call a blushing puppy?

Shinata pushed the warrior aside, taking her place. Her gaze settled on the boy standing in front of the house.

Sure enough, it was Ash. He stood in front of the house, looking at the ground.

"Hey. What're you doing here?" the rogue asked softly. It was pretty late, and the heroes didn't get many visitors at this time. If they did, the visitor would usually be greeted with three annoyed heroes who wanted to rest. This was a different story. It wasn't that Shinata felt pity. In a way, she enjoyed his company.

"Your forgot your, uh, daggers," Ash informed. He held out the precious weapons to the hero. His cheeks weren't as colored as they were earlier.

Shinata smiled softly. She took the daggers from the boy's hands.

"Thanks you," she said gratefully. "I'm going to need these in the future."

"N-No problem," came the reply. There was an odd moment of silence as the boy stood in front of the heroes' house. The nighttime noises were ever present as the moment stretched on.

"Well, if that's all you came here for, please feel free to leave," Kitlyn said, ending the silence roughly. She was about to close the door when Ash said suddenly, "Wait!"

The ninja paused in her door closing, frowning. "What?" she asked. She sounded tired and annoyed.

"There's something I need to, uh, talk to Shinata about," Ash explained. Kitlyn's face seemed to soften.

"Well, come in then," she said, opening the door wider.

Shinata and Kitlyn stepped back, allowing Ash to enter. As the boy stepped in, Yuuki quietly made her way back to the group by the front door.

"So, what is it?" Shinata asked, walking beside Ash. The ArchKnight in training looked over at Yuuki, who was watching quietly, standing beside the couch.

"Um, it's kind of a private matter," Ash replied.

Yuuki gasped. "Are you going to ask her out on a date?"

Ash's cheeks turned a deep scarlet. "Um, no," he said quietly.

"Don't worry. We can talk in my room," Shinata assured Ash.

"Ooh, you two get comfy now," Yuuki said with a wink. She snickered as Ash focused his gaze on his shoes, his cheeks still a deep red.

"Don't be ridiculous, Yuuki," Kitlyn scolded. "He only wants to talk to her."

"Yeah, sure," Yuuki said between fits of snickering. Kitlyn pushed Yuuki into the kitchen for a second time that night.

"I suggest you two go now, while she's in the kitchen," Kitlyn said, looking at Ash and Shinata.

As both of them walked down the hall, they could hear uncontrolled laughter from the kitchen.

* * *

Shinata closed her bedroom door. "Alright. So what's up?"

"Something's happened. It seems like one of the Necromancers has kidnapped the Ice Princess," Ash informed the rogue, sitting on her bed. "I was asked to go save her, and, well, I was wondering…" His sentence trailed off.

Shinata stopped readjusting her Rogue Plaque. She looked over at Ash. "What were you wondering?"

Ash looked at his shoes. He finished his sentence quietly. "I was wondering if you wanted to come help me." He glanced up at Shinata, then looked back down at his shoes.

Shinata smiled. She sat down beside Ash, who kept his gaze on his shoes. Placing a hand on Ash's shoulder, Shinata said softly, "You know, you didn't have to ask."

"Really? Y-you'll do it?" Ash asked in surprise. He looked over at Shinata. A look of surprise and relief claimed his features.

Shinata nodded. "Of course. I'm always up for adventure."

"Wow, thanks," Ash said gratefully. "I was afraid I'd have to ask someone else."

"No problem. When do we start?" Shinata asked.

"I was thinking tomorrow."

"Alrighty. I'll meet you outside the Inn at, say, nine?"

"Nine's good."

Shinata smiled. "See you then."

"Uh huh, you too," Ash replied.

* * *

Shinata stood in the front doorway, watching Ash leave. So now she had something to do. That was good. The best part was probably the company.

The rogue finally closed the door, smiling happily. She could hardly wait for tomorrow.

**Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it. Review this chapter and stay tuned for the third!**

**Peace off, Breeze.**


	3. Chapter 3, Let the Adventure Begin

**Hey! So it's June 18th, and I have Chapter three ready! Just as promised. The next is gonna come out on...June 27th.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of DragonFable, or any songs. I only own Shinata, my character. Yuuki and Kitlyn are property of my friends.**

****Chapter 3

****Let the Adventure Begin

The sun peeked over the horizon, signaling the beginning of a new day. With a yawn, Shinata sat up. She stretched briefly, then slipps out of bed. Today was the day.

The rogue got ready for the day, wondering what would happen during the trip. Maybe she would get lucky and find a unicougar. Or maybe a gorillaphant. Either would be fine.

Shinata left her rogue, putting her hair back in its ponytail. Yuuki and Kitlyn were already awake. Kitlyn leaned back in her chair, seeming to have just woken up. The smell of eggs and bacon was drifting out of the kitchen, which gave Shinata an idea of where Yuuki was.

Shinata went into the kitchen. Sure enough, Yuuki was fixing some bacon. Three plates of scrambled eggs waited on the counter. A large plate of bacon was waiting for its last layer.

Without saying anything, Shinata picked up a plate of scrambled eggs. She made her way around Yuuki to the plate of bacon. The warrior watched as Shinata took a few pieces of bacon.

"What's got you eating before breakfast?" Yuuki asked. She leaned on the counter.

"Just wanna get started early," Shinata replied.

"You could have waited until I was done with the bacon," Yuuki commented as the rogue poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"Well I have stuff to do, okay?"

"Stuff that involves Ash?" Yuuki asked, sliding over to Shinata. A sly grin slid onto the warrior's face.

"And how is that your business?" Shinata replied acidicly. She turned away from Yuuki, hiding her blushing face.

Yuuki shrugged. "I just wanna know if you'll be safe or not."

"Well, it's just some adventuring."

"With Ash?"

"No."

Yuuki put a few pieces of bacon on the other two plates. "Well then. I should come with you If you're going alone."

"I never said I was going alone," the rogue replied.

"Well, you said yourself that you're not going with Ash." Yuuki took the two plates and walked out of the kitchen. "Therefore, you're going alone."

"Well, I could be going with someone else," Shinata suggested, following Yuuki out of the kitchen.

Yuuki snorted. "Fat chance of that."

"Huh what?" Kitlyn asked. She had been half conscious until now.

"Shinata's going somewhere. She says she's going with someone," Yuuki explained. "But that someone is _not_ Ash, according to her."

"Wait, wait, wait." Kitlyn held her hands up. ""Who's Ash again?"

"Shinata's boyfriend," Yuuki said before Shinata could open her mouth.

"He's not my boyfriend," the rogue said in an annoyed tone.

"Uh huh. Suuure," Yuuki replied slowly.

"So…was he that boy who came last night?" Kitlyn asked, oblivious of the glares Shinata was shooting at Yuuki.

"Yessiree," Yuuki replied. "Anyway. If Ash isn't coming with her, she's going by herself. In which circumstances I have decided to go with her."

"Well you two have fun," Kitlyn said. She took a plate from Yuuki. "I have to go and train with Thyton for a few days."

"We'll be gone for a few days, too," Shinata replied. "It's going to be a long quest."

"Sooo I'm coming with you?" Yuuki asked. She ate a piece of bacon.

Shinata shrugged. "I can't shake you off, so yes."

"Yeah!" The warrior pumped the air with a fist.

With a sigh, Shinata finished her breakfast. "Go upstairs and pack a bag for yourself." She took her plate to the kitchen as Yuuki ran upstairs. Placing the plate in the sink, Shinata could already tell the trip would be a bit more tiring than it could have been.

* * *

Yuuki walked beside Shinata as the two made their way through Falconreach.

"So what's the plan?" Yuuki asked. "Are we gonna jump right into the quest?"

Shinata shook her head. "I have to stop by the inn first."

"Why?" Yuuki looked over at her friend, suspicion written all over her face.

"You'll see soon enough," came the brief reply. With another suspicious look, Yuuki continued to walk beside her friend.

Finally, Serenity's Inn was right in front of them. The building itself looked cheery and ready for anything the day would bring.

With a smile, Shinata ran towards the person standing in front of the inn.

"Good morning, Ash!" she called. Her pace slowed as she neared him.

"What? Oh, uh, morning," he replied. The boy looked like he had been up for a while.

"You ready?" Shinata asked.

Ash nodded. "Mhmm. I have my bag packed and everything."

"Awesome! We'll be going soon, then?"

"Uh huh." Ash smiled a little.

"Shinataaa!" a sing-song voice called. The rogue winced inwardly. She wished for the umpteenth time that she hadn't agreed to let Yuuki join her.

Yuuki bounded towards the two. She stopped as she approached Shinata, looking at Ash. She looked over at Shinata, then back at Ash. "Sooo…what's going on?"

"Well," Shinata began, "Yuuki, Ash is coming with us."

The warrior's face had a blank expression. She cleaned her right ear with her index finger. "I'm sorry. Did you say what I thought you said?"

"Ash is coming with us on the quest," Shinata repeated.

"But you said-"

"I know what I said," the rogue interrupted.

"So, So you lied to me twice?" Yuuki asked.

Shinata shrugged. "Is it okay if I tell a few fibs now and then?"

"Hmph." Yuuki crossed her arms.

"So, do you have a plan, Ash?" Shinata asked, changing the subject.

Ash nodded again. "Come inside and I'll share it."

* * *

"Good morning, Miss Shinata," Serenity called to the trio as they walked in. Shinata waved back and greeted, "Morning."

All three of them sat down at a table. Ash pulled out a map from his bag and set it on the table. Rolling it out, he began to explain.

"Alright. I'm pretty sure the ice princess was taken by a necromancer who's working for Sepulchure, but I'm not sure. So, to find out more, I was thinking we would go visit Zhoom, the ranger and tracker in the Sandsea."

Yuuki perked up at the tracker's name. "Did…Did you say Zhoom?"

"Mhmm. Since he's a tracker, Zhoom should know about matters like these," Ash explained.

Yuuki waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." She had a dreamy expression on her face.

"How long will it take us to get there?" Shinata asked. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. Her hand waved in front of Yuuki's face, attempting to snap the warrior out of her trance.

"About four days," Ashe replied. "It's not really that far away."

"Good, good," Yuuki murmured in a dreamy tone. Ash and Shinata looked at each other. The rogue shrugged, stifling a giggle.

"Okay. We should get going soon," Shinata said, pulling herself together. She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "We've got a princess to save." She looked down at Yuuki, who still had the same dreamy expression on her face.

"Yuuki." The rogue nudged her friend firmly. Yuuki blinked, and sat up.

"What? Oh, right!" she exclaimed. "Saving the world!"

Shinata stifled another giggle. "We're just saving the ice princess, Yuuki."

"Oh, right." The warrior looked at the table. "I knew that."

"Well, come on," Shinata said. She took Yuuki's hand, pulling her up. "We need to get going."

"Right," Yuuki replied. The warrior cast a suspicious glance over at Ash. "You won't try anything on Shinata during this trip. Understand?"

The boy stood up. He shakily raised his hand to his head in a salute. "Uh, y-yes sir. I mean, ma'am."

Yuuki nodded sternly, showing her approval. "Good."

With that, the trio left the inn, ready to start the quest.

"Goodbye, then!" Serenity called after the door closed. She shook her head and continued to wash the dishes.

"Heroes these days," she murmured.

**I hope you enjoyed it! Review this chapter, please. Next chapter will come out on June 27th. I'll meet you then!**

**Peace off, Breeze.**


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